Jerry was 43 years old when he began racing, 10 to 15 years older than most of his competitors.  During this period, Jerry was the owner and working President of Pasadena Welding and Fabrication Company.  He was married to Phyllis Morenzoni Austin and had three young sons. 

Jerry began his racing career in a 1954 Jaguar XK120 Coupe which he raced nine times until March 1955 when he traded it in for a 1955 Jaguar XK140 MC Roadster.  In December 1955, after eleven races and seven wins, he traded the Roadster in for a 1956 “D” Type Jaguar (XKD) at a cost of $11,000.  Jerry raced the “D” in 23 races placing 1st in his class and/or overall in eight of them and 2nd in five through December 1957.  Although not familiar with the right-hand drive “D” Jaguar, Jerry won his first race with it at the prestigious Torrey Pines 6 hour endurance event in January 1956, just a month after taking delivery. 

In 1959 Jerry sold the “D” to a car dealer in Salt Lake City, Utah for $5,500.  This particular “D” Jaguar was purchased by Rob Walton, CEO of Wal-Mart, several years ago and at this writing is valued at over 2 million dollars.

In July 1957 Jerry began racing Corvettes for the C. S. Mead Chevrolet Dealership in Pasadena, California.  He participated in fifteen races with the 1957 Corvette vin # 5055 (Monday July 8, 1957) winning all but three and placing second in two.

In all, Jerry participated in 58 documented races.  Of these, he placed 1st in his class and/or overall 28 times, 2nd, 11 times, and did not finish (DNF) in nine races due to car trouble or accidents.  In 1955, Jerry was the Western States Champ in the Class C Production category with the Jaguar XK140 MC and second runner-up nationally.  In 1957 he was the Western States Champ in the over 1500cc Production Class in the 1957 Corvette as well as 7th national runner-up in the Class C Modified division with the D Jaguar.

One of Jerry’s specialties was the “Le Mans” type start which required the drivers to line up across the track from their respective race cars and sprint to them when the start gun sounded.  The drivers would hop into their cars, start them as quickly as possible and take off.  Jerry was in three races with the Le Mans type start crossing the start line 1st in each one.  He practiced this maneuver many times before these races.

JERRY AUSTIN’S BACKGROUND

Jerry was born on May 11, 1911 in the small community of Drummond, near Enid, Oklahoma.  When he was 2 years old his mother died.  Jerry and his older brother, Harold, spent the following 10 years living with relatives and in foster homes.  At the age of 4, Jerry traveled to Missouri on a train by himself with only a baggage tag on his lapel.  In 1923, Jerry and Harold rejoined their father who had remarried and was living in Long Beach, CA.  In Jerry’s case, the return to the family fold lasted only about a year.  At age 14 he was relocated to Simi Valley, California where he worked as a ranch hand while he completed high school in 1930.

Jerry completed a 4-year enlistment in the Navy, assigned to the Asiatic Fleet, in 1934.  During that period he learned his trade in steel fabrication.  For the next 10 years Jerry worked for several steel fabrication companies which took him to Panama, Hawaii, and the Stockton, California shipbuilding yards where he met his future wife, Phyllis Morenzoni.  In 1945 Jerry started his own business, Pasadena Welding and Fabrication Co. (changing the name to J. R. Austin Co. in 1958). 

Jerry married Phyllis Morenzoni in 1945 and had 3 sons; Jerry, born in 1946; Gary, born in 1948; and Morris “Pete”, born in 1951.  Prior to his marriage to Phyllis, Jerry took up archery, ultimately winning a shelf full of trophies.  Several years later he developed an interest in sail boating winning numerous trophies in a Fire-Fly Class craft.  Auto racing followed with Jerry retiring at the end of 1957.  Several years later Jerry took up sailplaning (gliders) which he continued to enjoy into his later years.  He set at least one California speed record in his sailplane.

Jerry Austin passed away in 1982 at age 71 suffering with atherosclerosis.
 

C.S. Mead resold the car to Bill Thomas, who had it only a short time and he sold it to Bob Bondurant who raced it from 1958 thru 1959 Del Mar. The car then was sold to Dr. Eddinger, Greg Pickett, and Bart Martin. Bart sold it to Mick Sweezy in 1962, who has owned it thru today. In 1966, he rolled the car at Vaca Valley and it sat in Mick’s garage until 1986, when he restored it to today's condition. The car raced at the 1987 Monterey Historic Vintage races where Chevrolet celebrated 75 years and was the honor marque. The car has continued vintage racing thru today.

GARY J. AUSTIN                                                    SEPTEMBER 2007

Jim Gessner
www.vettefinderjim.com
www.registryofcorvetteracecars.com